Four seasons—Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring—except that in some parts of the country it always seems to verge on summer.

Four corners of the earth—North, East, South, West—and their respective four winds.

To be foursquare is to be upright and true, a carpentry term extended to human virtues.

Four elements—Fire, Air, Earth, Water—say my Wiccan sisters.

Four is a bicycle with training wheels.

Four is four-eyes, a pejorative taunt for people who wear glasses. I heard it many times as a child. I was overjoyed when I finally could dispense with them—and then I turned 50 and needed reading glasses.

Four for a Boy by Mary Reed and Eric Mayer

It takes four to play bridge (but only two to tango).

The Gang of Four will always be associated with the Cultural Revolution, launched in 1966. Millions died and millions more were injured or imprisoned during what was, not a really cultural revolution, but a political power struggle using a form of political correctness as its tool.

Last, but not least, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

--The white horse represents the Antichrist, conquering without arrows, meaning that the conquest will be an inside job.

--The red horse represents War, the red of blood spilled in violence, Mars the bringer of war.

--The black horse represents Famine, scarcity of food (could be artificially induced) and higher prices (the poor cannot afford it). Money and food were often weighed on scales.

--The pale horse (the Greek word is chloros, or green, the color associated with the appearance of the dead) is named Death, the end of all things.

These images have inspired so many commentaries, that it seems pretty clear they reach deep within our human psyche and evoke strong responses.

Personally, I think John had been smoking something.